Exciting turn of events as enthusiastic hosts surprise a 10-man Milan team in a thrilling six-goal match in Serie A.
Matteo Pessina of AC Monza sent the crowd into a frenzy as he celebrated scoring the team’s first goal in their clash against AC Milan. The Serie A TIM match took place at the U-Power Stadium on February 18, 2024, in Monza.
AC Milan, who had been enjoying a fine start to the year, were left stunned as they suffered a shocking 4-2 defeat against their Lombardy-based rivals. This loss dropped the Rossoneri down to third place in Serie A, trailing two points behind Juventus and a significant 11 points behind league leaders Inter.
The game started off rather dull, but things quickly changed during stoppage time in the first half. A heavily rotated Milan side made two costly mistakes in quick succession, allowing Monza to take advantage. A clumsy challenge by Thiaw resulted in a penalty for Monza, which their captain Pessina calmly converted to give the hosts a surprising lead.
Milan desperately pushed for an equalizer before the break, but they were caught off guard once again. Dany Mota capitalized on a lightning-fast counter-attack by Monza, doubling their lead six minutes into added time.
After making a triple substitution at half-time, Milan showed signs of improvement and began to resemble their usual selves. However, their task became even more challenging when Luka Jovic was sent off for an unnecessary off-the-ball scuffle.
Nevertheless, with the likes of Christian Pulisic and Olivier Giroud on the field, Milan fought back. Pulisic set up Giroud, who halved the deficit on 64 minutes, igniting hopes of a comeback.
The comeback seemed complete on the 88th minute when Pulisic cut inside and unleashed a powerful shot into the top corner. However, the celebrations were short-lived as Warren Bondo swiftly responded with a superb curling strike in stoppage time, restoring Monza’s lead.
The historic night for the hosts was sealed in the dying seconds by Lorenzo Colombo, who smashed home a goal against his parent club, leaving AC Milan with their first Serie A defeat of the year.
This victory marked Monza’s first-ever win against AC Milan in the top-flight and their first triumph against a top-half team this season.